Electric railway-gate for grade-crossings.



PATENTED 1 213.12, 1907.

. I G. E. MENDENHALL. ELECTRIC RAILWAY GATE FOR GRADE CROSSINGS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9. 1906.

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No. 844,284. PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907. v G. E. MENDENHALL.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY GATE POE GRADE GROSSINGS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 9. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATET OFFIQE.

CHARLES E. MENDENHALL, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUIS P. EARNSIIAW, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

ELECTRIC i RAILWAY-GATE FOR GRADE-CROSSINGS.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application filed July 9,1906- Serial No. 325,263.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. MENDEN- HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railway- Gates for Grade-Crossings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gates for railway-crossings, and more particu larly relates to that class of gates for gradecrossings which are adapted to be operated by electricity.

The invention comprises means for lowering the gate, said means comprising a solenoid-magnet which is mounted in a hollow standard, and which solenoid-magnet when the electric current is made to pass through the same attracts a lever which has interposed between it and the gate-arm gearing which is actuated by the movement of the lever to lower said gatearm, all as will be hereinafter more fully described. The electric current may be furnished through any of the well-known instruments-such, for example, as a storage battery, generator, &c.

Preceding a detail description of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a hollow standard, revealing the interior electromechanical devices of the gate-arm, said gate-arm being also shown in its horizontal position with parts thereof broken- Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the hollow standard, with the cap removed and the gate-arm broken away. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the hollow standard with its gate-arm elevated. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken longitudinally through the solenoid-magnet. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation, partly in section, of the pilot of a driving-engine of an electric railway. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the circuit between a generator and the solenoid-magnet.

In the detail description of the invention similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts.

The gate-arm 1 is constructed of two parallel members which are tied to each other by cross-bolts 1, and said gate-arm is provided at the end nearest its fulcrum-point with weights 2, which are instrumental in elevating said gate-arm to its vertical position when freed from the influence of the magnet. The gate-arm is provided with bearings 2 lying on the inner sides thereof and rigidly secured thereto. Rigidly secured in these bearings 2 are the journals of a shaft 3, said shaft passing through the upper portion of the hollow standard 4 and having suitable bearings in the opposite sides of said standard. The hollow standard has fitted to it a cap 5, which is removable in order to permit access to the interior of the standard to lubricate the bearings or for any other purpose. Upon the shaft 3 on the interior of the standard is a pinion 8, fixed to said shaft. Meshing with this pinion from below is a segmentgear 9 upon a shaft 10. Also upon this shaft 10 there is a steel lever 11, said lever and segment-gear being tight upon said shaft. This lever 11 lies in a position within the magnetic influence of the core 12 of the solenoid-magnet 6, so that when current is introduced to the solenoid-magnet 6 the lever 11 will be at tracted by the core of the solenoidmagnet to an extent which causes the gate-arm to be lowered to its horizontal position. The solenoid-magnet 6 is mounted in the hollow standard in proper position by means of suitable brackets 7, which are secured to one of the interior sides of said hollow standard.

As before stated, the source of electric cur rent may be any of the well-known ones, (not shown,) and the current is controlled by means of any of the well-known switches to pass said current through the solenoidmag net. WVhen the gate is under the control of an attendant, the source of electric energy may conveniently consist of a storage battery located within the switchmans house and the current controlled by a switch or current-breaker, likewise located at the same point.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated means whereby the solenoid-magnet may be energized by current furnished from a small generator mounted onv an engine. In this adaptation of my improvement, 16 designates an electric contact member in the form of a roller suitably mounted upon the pilot 14 of an engine. 15 is a third rail with which this roller makes contact and through which the circuit is completed through the solenoid-magnet with a generator located on the engine. This circuit is illustrated in the diagram Fig. 6, where it will be assumed that the generator 17 is mounted behind the smoke-stack or connected with the axles of the Wheels 18, which will be understood to be the drivingwheels of the engine, and thence to the third rail 15, through the roller 16, and thence to the solenoid-magnet. From this diagram it will be understood that the circuit is made through the solenoid-magnet when the contaet-roller 16engages the third rail 15. The solenoid-magnet core 12 has suflicient movement to draw the steel lever 11 to a position which enables the gears 3 and 9 to lower the gate-arm to the horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1. When the circuit through the solenoid-magnet is broken by the manual manipulation of a switch in the cab of an engine or by the contact-roller 16, traveling off the third rail 15, the said solenoid-magnet becomes demagnetized and the steel lever 11 is released and the gate-weights 2 open the gate-arm or elevate it until it is again lowered by completing the circuit through the solenoidmagnet, as hereinbefore indicated. When the arm approaches its perpendicular position, the lower end thereof engages a plunger 13, which is driven against a spring 13, located on the outside of the hollow standard, and thus the movement of said gate-arm to its perpendicular position is cushioned. The weights 2 on the short end of the gate-arm are of sufiicient gravity to elevate the arm when the solenoid-magnet becomes netized.

I claim 1. In an electric railway-gate for gradecrossings, the combination with a gate-arm, a hollow standard, and a shaft supported in said hollow standard and upon which the gate-arm is supported, of a solenoid-magnet in the upper portion of said hollow standard, a pinion fixed to the shaft of the gate-arm within the hollow standard, a segment-gear engagingsaid pinion, a lever fixed to the shaft of said gear and projected in alinement with the core of the magnet but disconnected from said core, and means for magnetizing and demagnetizing said magnet.

2. In an electric railway-gate for gradecrossings, the combination of a gate-arm, a hollow standard supporting the shaft upon which said gate-arm is mounted, a pinion fixed to said shaft, a segment-gear engaging said pinion, said segmentgear having a fixed connection with its shaft, a solenoidmagnet mounted in the upper portion of said standard, and a lever adapted to oscillate the segment-gear, said lever being projected within the magnetic field, of the solenoidmagnet but disconnected with the core of said magnet, a source of electric energy connected with the solenoid-magnet, and means for controlling the introduction of current to said magnet.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. MEN DENHALL.

Witnesses:

L. P. EARNSHAW, O. M. THEOBALD.

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